Question about glass fuse system in Ford Duchess kit

[Wendy Carr]

I need help. I’m trying to diagnose a short. My turn signals/gas gage/wipers shorted out. All are on the same circuit. I’m testing with a light meter. I get a light on the 4 fuse connectors to the right(#1-4). I do not get any light reading on the other 8 connectors (#5-12).

I found 2 wires that had shorted out and melted the casings. I wrapped those with electrical tape. Should I have replaced these wires instead?

And does anyone know why my 8 other circuits won’t light up?

[Wendy Carr]

<p style=”text-align: justify;”>Paul has told me that some circuits are always on/hot, like the headlights. So I know I need to turn my key to the on position, but not start the car, and retest those 8 other circuits to see if they light up with the light meter. He also said that the light indicates that the circuits are working. A non lit circuit will indicate a fault. Then I should trace the wires to and from that circuit to find the fault. Does everyone agree?</p>

[edward ericson]

That’s how I would do it.

[billnparts]

Pretty much. The fuse panel should have both “Hot all the time” as well as “Hot with key on only”. If you have wiring with melted insulation, replace the wires. Good luck.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[Rene Toussaint]

I had a similar problem. My low beam headlight did not work. What I found was that there was some corrosion between the tips of the glass fuse and the holder preventing electricity to flow through. You should take each fuse out one at a time and clean the tips and the holder with steel wool or sandpaper then snap them back in. Do this one at a time in case you have different size fuses.

[Author]

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